Not Everything Goes as Planned
by marciewantsthev
Summary: Naomi finds everything predictable in life. So when her mum manages to catch her off-guard, another surprise forces her to confront her feelings she's harbored for Emily all these years.
1. A Change of Pace

**Not Everything Goes As Planned**

**Chapter 01: A Change of Pace**

* * *

It was a cool day for August, so people who scurried about the town would pull their light jackets closer to them. The leaves had started to yellow slightly, warning everyone of exactly how near September lurked. A young man lit a fag while he held it between his lips, wanting to use the flame's warmth as much as he could. His friends laughed at his half-length cargo pants and black t-shirt, the word "No" printed on it in white.

A young, blonde Naomi stared out the window of a cab; scowl attached to her face. She had never been anything like those boys. She didn't want that. Everything in life was predictable, including her lack of a job after graduation. It was what she both loved and hated about life.

The taxi pulled up to a two-story brick house. Naomi stepped out of the cab, her grayscale plaid skirt rumpling slightly as she reached into the garment's only pocket for her old duct tape wallet. She put away her wallet, and then checked her floral jacket for any obvious wrinkles. The laces on her converse were already tied. As the nameless cabbie approached, she held out the money for him to take. He grabbed it from her hands as she took the suitcase he wheeled towards her.

"Isn't this a bit much? Do you need change?" he asked, scratching at the short, greasy brown hair that occupied the back of his head.

"Keep it. You could use the extra cash to get shampoo that works," Naomi quipped flatly. The man stiffened at this remark, his head down as he headed into his cab. "Not like you'd know how to use it anyway," she added as he drove to find a nicer customer, unable to hear her biting remark. She turned on her heel and pulled a key from a jacket pocket of hers, unlocking the door so that she could enter the house, suitcase rolling right behind her. "Tosser."

* * *

"So how was your trip, dear?" her mother asked the blonde. "I'm sorry no one hired you," she hired from the couch. The young woman let go of her suitcase, not caring that it dropped to the ground with a thumping noise. She sighed as she pulled a mug from a cabinet in the kitchen before she filled it with warm tea from the stovetop.

"It's not like it matters, mum. I didn't expect any of them to want me, but I need a job somewhere, so I'll try anywhere I've got a shot," she responded. Her mother analyzed her, not sure of whether to believe her daughter. Naomi had never really liked it in Bristol, though, that might have had to do less with the place and more with the people. One girl in her class had started a rumor about Naomi, and ever since then, all she wanted to do was flee. The older woman frowned at this.

Just then, her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps on the stairs. "Hey Naomi, Gina dear," an Irishman hanging by the stairwell hollered. "It's nice to finally see you. How's life been treating you? Still mad at it as ever, or are you giving it a break?"

Naomi sighed before answering, "I'll give it a break when it gives me one. You seem rather cheery today." She smirked at him, glancing between him and Gina. "So you going to tell me what's got you on cloud nine, or am I just gonna have to guess?"

"You'll figure it out soon enough. You're a smart girl. When you do, come and tell me, would you? I wanna see your face. It'll be hilarious," he answered, clearly challenging her.

"I'm sure I will. Is it really that big that you think I'll be shocked? Did you decide to run for office again or something?" she asked, her eyebrows slightly raised. She pulled out a pack of smokes, about to light one, before she noticed her mom's hand.

Her jaw dropped.

"Now that's something you don't see everyday," her mum commented, glancing down to where Naomi stared. On Gina's left hand rested a small but still noticeable diamond ring. "I wish I had a camera."

"You're getting married?" Naomi spurted, unlit joint sitting in her hand. "I have to call Kieran 'dad' now?" she scoffed while she rolled her eyes. "Well that's just a fucking delight. Are a dozen or so people going to move in all of a sudden and nab everything away from me? Isn't his dad still alive or something? He's probably a tosser that's gonna make up excuses to ask me about my lack of a boyfriend. Oh god, I can picture it now. 'Surely there must be some lucky lad? Maybe a lass?' Um, you know what? I don't need anyone," she rambled, suddenly cutting herself silent when she realized she had said too much.

The room suddenly went silent as Gina's eyes met Kieran's, and the two exchanged concerned glances. Gina reached over and stole Naomi's cigarette from her, then dropped it in the rubbish bin. Naomi threw a glare at her mother, mentally sending daggers her way for trashing a perfectly useable cigarette.

"Did you at least get a proper planner?" Naomi questioned, unsure of what she wanted the answer to be.

"Don't be a wanker, Naomi. Of course I have," Gina responded.

"So?"

"I went to Let's Get Fitched. They seem nice there," she answered, smiling slightly. Naomi's face dropped, and she panicked internally.

"Fuck's sake."

* * *

**So this is my first multi-chapter fanfiction. Feel free to review and/or contact me on my tumblr:**

**sourpatchrehab(.)tumblr(.)com**


	2. Circling the Drain

**Not Everything Goes as Planned**

**Chapter 02: Circling the Drain**

* * *

Naomi hated to be surprised. She was the person who was never surprised by anything. Her life was the definition of predictability, and that was how she liked it.

Now, though, that predictability was starting to crumble, and she was starting to panic at the worst-case scenario- that the Fitch sent over would be _her._

Of course, the twins worked with their mum, so there was an equal chance of it being any one of the three of them. Still, there was a sense of dread about the upcoming meeting her mother had planned- and of course it was tomorrow- that just didn't sit well with her. She shook her head to try and rid herself of the feeling, but it just wouldn't leave.

* * *

As Naomi entered the kitchen, she spotted her mom reading the paper. The ring caught the light at an angle that made it gleam, which made Naomi's stomach turn. She wanted to flee, but there was a part of her keeping her rooted firmly. That part was sheer curiosity.

"So they're visiting today?" Naomi asked.

"This afternoon, actually," Gina responded. "Would you be a dear and help keep me on track?"

"Sure," Naomi deadpanned, but she hoped to have a plan to leave her mum and Fitch to do their work alone. She grabbed a banana and hopped upstairs to plan her leave.

She knew that Fitch x would arrive at half two, so she planned to be out by 2:15. Unfortunately for her, life's predictability had all but disappeared. An orange moped pulled up at precisely 2:10 to the Campbell residence as the engine alerted everyone of the young woman's arrival. Naomi ran down the stairs just in time to see bright red hair.

"Christ," she blurted. Immediately the two's eyes met, and Naomi's hand flew to cover her mouth. "Shit. Sorry." Her hand dropped.

"It's ok," came the reply. "Naomi."

"Emily. Sorry. I didn't mean…" her voice trailed, worried she might say something wrong if she so much as breathed incorrectly.

"I understand. Like I said, it's fine," she replied. The girls exchanged tight smiles. Gina left to prepare some tea, which was a smart move on her part.

"So how has life been? Didn't you have an evil twin, or did you finally break free?" Naomi asked, hopeful that some humor would be able to clear the air between them. She shifted a foot nervously while glancing downward, wishing for a positive response.

"You really don't like her, do you?" Emily questioned. "God, what was Form BD1 like? I wish I had been there," she rambled.

"Ok then, why don't you go help my mum?" Naomi prattled, clearly trying to avoid the subject. Emily didn't dare push it. "The tea should be just about ready. I'll be upstairs if you need me," she added, pointing to the staircase behind her in emphasis. " So, um, good luck?"

"Yeah, thanks," Emily replied, smiling slightly. "Nice chatting with you."

* * *

Emily arrived at the same time the next week, puling her helmet from her head. She rested it on her hip before she rang the doorbell, lower lip between her teeth.

"I'll get that!" a voice- Naomi's- yelled from inside the house, feet thumping against the staircase. The door swung open to reveal the ambitious young woman in navy sweatpants and a red and white t-shirt. "Fuck!" she exclaimed, taking in the sight of the twin in her black pants, flats, and white blouse. "I thought you were the postman," she blabbed. "If I'd have know it was you, I would've… shit," she added, stopping before she could say anything too incriminating to the girl standing in front of her.

"You seem tense. Bad day?" Emily asked, tilting her head.

"Sure… I mean yeah! Sorry," Naomi responded. The two women stood outside awkwardly, neither one sure of what to say. Silence enveloped the doorway, seeping into the ground where they stood. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence so much as a settled one, though, and Naomi found it one of the more beautiful moments in her life.

"Naomi, dear, who's at the door?" Gina's voice called from the inside of the Campbell residence. "Is it an old friend of yours? Shall I make a pot of tea?"

Emily snickered at Gina's words, joking, "Is it just me or is your mum actually offering to make us pot tea?" Naomi started to chuckle lightly, leaning against the doorframe for support.

"Oh god. I wouldn't be surprised if she was, actually. She's definitely the type," she responded, locking eyes with Emily. The two exchanged amused looks before breaking out into laughter.

"Do you really think she would? I mean, not like I haven't ever smoked a spliff or anything, but I am trying to quit. It's not exactly that healthy, and with what happened to… never mind," Emily sputtered, glancing away from Naomi. "Anyways, shouldn't we go inside now? Your mum's probably wondering what we're doing out here."

"I suppose so," Naomi replied as she glanced back into the house. She glanced down again at her pajamas before making a mental note to change into something else the second she escaped upstairs. "How was your week?" she inquired as she started into the Campbell residence. Emily glanced into the entrance, craning her head around Naomi's figure. Her eyes wandered over to Naomi's back as she visually traced the lines of her hips, lowering her gaze ever so slowly.

"Aren't you gonna come in?" Naomi's voice interrupted Emily's thought process as she realized she was staring at the other woman's thighs.

"Right. Fuck. I guess I just spaced out a second. Sorry," she answered, snapping back to reality. Naomi turned around again, Emily's eyes re-tracing her figure a second time. She sighed and stepped into the home, kicking off her flats in the process.

As Emily entered the kitchen, Gina sat down with two mugs of tea and smiled at her. Emily took the chair across from Gina as she set her messenger bag on the chair next to her. Then, she pulled some files from said bag, setting them on the table so that Gina could read them. "Shall we begin? These are some of the places that matched you description of what you wanted."

* * *

Naomi opened her closet doors, surveying her suddenly inadequate wardrobe. She started to push clothes to the edges of her closet, searching frantically for something that didn't look like her mother had bought it for her. She eventually settled on a pair of old jeans and her blue and yellow plaid top. Her top was still a bit wrinkly for her tastes, but it would simply have to do. She rushed down the stairs, popping her head in the kitchen to let her mother know she was headed outside.

"I'm heading out to pick up some food. Do either of you need anything?" she inquired, standing in the doorway with one arm on the frame.

"I'll probably be gone by the time you're back, actually, but thank you for the offer," came Emily's succinct response. "Would you mind looking over some files sometime? Since your mother asked, you know? I'll put them aside for you." Emily smiled slightly, but the smile was a bit tight to be friendly.

Naomi opened her mouth for a second, closed it again, and then hesitantly responded, "Sure. That works, I guess." She glanced to Gina, adding, "How about you?"

"Huh?" was all Gina managed, given that all of her attention had been solely on the papers lying in front of her.

"The store. I'm going. Do you need anything?" Naomi questioned harshly, raising her eyebrows to match her voice. The two held a stare for several seconds, leading Emily to feel slightly out of place.

"I'm good. Thanks for the offer, though, love," Gina responded, shooting Naomi a knowing look. She had never offered to get something at the store for a guest, and most of the time she went out, she didn't say anything about where or why. It was unusual behavior for Naomi to ask someone else if they needed anything from her.

Noticing this, Naomi questioned, "What? Do I have something on my face?"

"No. Nothing," both of the other women responded, completely in-sync with each other.

"See you around then, Emily. I'll be back soon, mum," Naomi stated.

"Have a great time, dear."

* * *

Emily stood outside of the Campbell residence for the third week in a row. She knew that after one more visit, it would mainly be phone meetings and e-mails, so if she was going to do anything, it would have to be soon. She worried that her jean skirt and plain white t-shirt would be too casual, but Gina had told her last week that she didn't have to 'dress like she was one step from the red carpet.' This somehow made her feel more at ease.

Naomi, on the other hand, managed to make her feel nervous as hell. She had no idea where she stood with her, and this confused the fuck out of her. Emily was usually good at reading people, but Naomi seemed unpredictable, as if there were two forces trying to claim control of her at once and said forces could never rule together. Emily wasn't sure how to read someone that conflicted before, someone who could be so rude one minute and polite the next. She'd say something mean in front of Emily then suddenly apologize for whatever left her mouth. It really made no sense.

All of a sudden, the door flew open and Naomi came bursting out from the home, literally crashing into Emily. The women stumbled slightly, but Naomi managed to grab the doorframe with one hand and Emily's with the other.

"Fuck's sake! Oh. Sorry, Emily," Naomi blurted, yet again sending some of the most mixed of signals Emily had ever received. Emily began to pull herself up using Naomi's arm for support, which basically brought the two with their hands intertwined and faces a bit close to each other's for comfort. Emily studied Naomi's face as Naomi stared into Emily's eyes, averting her glance when she attempted to return the look.

"This feels like one of those cheesy movies, doesn't it?" Emily asked, hoping to both diffuse the situation and get some clearer signals from Naomi about whether or not the two could ever get along. Naomi bit her lip slightly, avoiding Emily's gaze while looking up. She stepped away slightly from Emily before clearing her throat.

"Yeah, I guess," came her response.

Silence took over the doorway yet again. Emily started into the house yet again to start working, confident that she could at least befriend Naomi. After chickening out years ago, Emily swore that she'd take what she could get when it came to Naomi. She paused for a second, turned back, and swallowed all her pride as she mustered the same amount of courage.

"Naomi? We should go for coffee sometime," Emily managed to sputter, her voice a bit high and just above a whisper.

"Pardon?" Naomi asked, turning on her heel to face Emily.

"Coffee. We should go," Emily stated, clearer and more confident this time. "I still need you to check over some papers, and it wouldn't hurt to at least make it less of torture, you know, seeing as you hate that sort of stuff." She figured if it sounded like business, maybe she wouldn't be rejected. Maybe Naomi would still know, but it would be tougher to say no to her if it was presented like this, right?

"Emily, we've hardly talked to each other our entire lives. How you would know what I would hate is beyond me, seeing as I doubt that you're psychic or anything," came Naomi's response. Emily's eyebrows furrowed as her mouth opened ever so slightly, causing Naomi to panic yet again.

"Sorry. Did I go too far?"

"No, that's ok. You were being honest. I think that's nice. So about that coffee, yes or no?" Emily responded. Naomi paused for a moment, taking in a breath.

"Um… sure, I guess," she answered, sighing. Her eyes moved up and to the left so as to avoid looking at Emily's reaction. Naomi's lips pursed together as Emily's broke into a grin, which she contained almost immediately.

"Okay then. I'll leave my number for you so we can schedule an appointment," Emily practically exclaimed, about ready to skip inside. She started back to Gina before she turned back one last time, adding, "Oh! Have a nice trip to… wherever you're headed."

"Thanks." Naomi managed, worried as to why Emily seemed so happy all of a sudden. Part of her wanted to know, but the other was too scared it was what she wanted to hear.

* * *

**Feel free to review and/or contact me on my tumblr:**

**sourpatchrehab(.)tumblr(.)com**

**Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter! I really appreciate it.**

(Also, it is NEVER wrong to have a thing for Bitchy!Naomi. Even Emily has a thing for it, which is shown by her reaction to when Naomi tells the old man to go fuck himself.)


	3. Small Talk

**Not Everything Goes As Planned**

**Chapter 03: Small Talk**

* * *

Emily stood in front of the mirror, staring at the blue-green plaid shirt she had matched with her black skirt. A portion of her hair had been clipped back with a small blue bowtie. She glanced nervously at her phone again, hoping she would get a text from Naomi.

"What's got your knickers in a knot, lezzer?" her sister asked, half amused at Emily's impatience and half curious who this mystery girl was.

"Nothing really, just have a business meeting that I don't want to screw up," she responded, dancing around the real reason she was so impatient.

"So you've got a hot lady client that you're hoping is as gay as you are, but you think she's straight because of gaydar or whatever bullshit it is you lesbians created," Katie snapped back at Emily, a slight grin on her face. Her eyebrows were slightly raised, and her hands rested on her hips. "Good luck getting lucky today, though I doubt even luck will help you."

Emily gawked at her sister. "What do you mean by that, bitch? I can get just as lucky as you. It just so happens that I actually respect the women I'm interested in and don't treat them like a meaningless shag or a way to get my mouth dirty, thank you very much," she retorted, ready to argue if need be.

"I'm just saying that most girls aren't gay, Ems. Aren't, like, only ten percent of girls queer? That's not saying much about your odds."

"Every gay girl's got to get a good roll sooner or later. It's like poker. You don't always get lucky, but if you can get lucky often enough, or get good enough at the game, you can still feel good about playing. Plus, some people know how to make a bad hand look good enough where they still win the pot through this thing they call bluffing," Emily reasoned, smiling at her logic. "Plus, she seems to have mixed feelings about me, which could be a good sign."

"Does she know that you're gay?" Katie inquired.

"I think so, but I can't be certain. I mean, I haven't told her directly, but I figure that since I've emitted enough of that 'lesbian radiation' you seem to think that I have, she probably figured it out almost right when we met," Emily told her, silently remembering that snogging is not equal to any form of gay signals and can be much more obvious than plaid and converse with her wallet shoved in her back pocket. "How do you know if someone knows that you're gay?" She asked.

"I'm straight?" Katie answered, slightly worried that her sister had forgotten that contrary to popular belief, amongst most lesbians at least, not everyone is a flaming homosexual.

"I know you're not gay, but it never hurts to ask, does it?" Emily asked, hoping that Katie would be able to help her somehow.

"Well, has she ever seen you with another girl or anything? I mean, have you ever kissed a girl in front of her while not drunk at a party?"

"Well… you could say yes to that, I guess. You could also say no. It's a bit complicated," Emily remarked, not wanting to divulge too much information about her rather sticky situation.

"Okay, I'm going to need more details than that," Katie deadpanned.

"Do you remember that one girl?" Emily asked cautiously. She played with the hems of her clothes.

"Which girl?" came Katie's response. She was clearly confused and had no idea of the bombshell of a surprise that was about to hit her.

"Naomi from middle school."

Katie's legs buckled slightly, and she placed her hand on the edge of her bed to steady herself. "WHAT THE FUCK? NAOMI CAMPBELL?"

"Not so loud, Katie. Do you want mum and dad to hear? It would be the end of me. You know they hate her after all the badmouthing her that you did at the dinner table all through our forms. It took until, well, the menopause for you to stop bitching about her almost nightly," Emily ranted.

"Naomi Campbell, though? Really, Emsy? What the fuck were you thinking? Were you even thinking? This is not going to end well."

Emily sighed. Sometimes her sister could be so predictable. "Listen," she started. "What the parentals don't know can't hurt them, now can it? You don't have to tell them, just like I don't have to tell them where all that alcohol went back when we were in college, okay?"

"Are you _blackmailing_ me? You, Emily Fitch, rumored to be one of the least manipulative souls on the planet, trying to con your own sister into not spilling a secret to ma and pa?" Katie inquired. "I'm impressed."

"Thanks?" Emily questioned, confused as to why Katie wasn't boiling with anger at the moment. "So you're not mad at me?" she added.

"Oh, no, I'm right pissed, but I'm too busy being impressed and a bit shocked for any of that to properly show. Just for that, I won't tell on you. Have fun, and don't worry. Someone like that bitch has to be a lesbian. There's no way she's straight. I mean, did you see her hair? It just screams butch, especially after she dyed it. You didn't even need to ask me."

"What?"

"Yeah. I guess I have better gaydar than you, which is, if you ask me, just more proof that it doesn't even exist," Katie reasoned.

Emily simply shrugged and dropped the subject.

* * *

Naomi walked up towards the café door. She stared nervously through said door at Emily's back, noticing the bag on the ground. It was the same messenger bag she had brought in the past. Her shoes were slightly worn black converse, and she had on a pair of sky blue skinny jeans with a purple t-shirt. Naomi had once sworn Emily should never wear purple, but actually seeing her wear it immediately changed her mind. Emily Fitch somehow made purple look sexy. _Wait, no, not sexy, _Naomi thought, shaking her head, _because that would mean that I like her, but… nice? _Nice worked. Nice was a safe word. It was a compliment, except without needing to show any attraction. Naomi smiled, proud of herself for finding a word that would be ok for her to use when she spoke to Emily.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door, causing Emily to turn to face her. Naomi let the door slam shut behind her as she walked over to Emily, whose eyes had lit up with… happiness? That couldn't be right. Naomi concealed a double take so that Emily wouldn't notice.

"Sorry, thought you were Katie for a split second. You know how I feel about her right now," Naomi lied, hoping Emily would buy her story.

"Well, she hasn't changed too much, but she's better about her rumors now that she's learned a few things."

"Like?" Naomi inquired, clearly curious.

"She now knows that things aren't always as they might appear. Oh, and she also learned to not try to shove her opinion on boys down my throat, since we obviously have different opinions on who's hot and who's not," Emily explained.

"So… you mean to say that you like different types of boys?" Naomi asked, trying to make conversation. "Oh, also, sorry if I made you wait."

"No, it's fine really. I was just double-checking on a few papers. I'll go get our orders now," Emily replied, carefully avoiding the first question. "What's your coffee order?"

"Oh, um, just a cappuccino, I guess. Small please," Naomi asked.

"Okay then. One cappuccino it is." Emily went to wait in line while Naomi watched her, hoping she would glance her way. When Emily reached the front of the line and told the cashier her order, Naomi realized she would need something to pretend to be doing so as not to raise suspicion- not that there was any suspicion to be raised, right?

Emily returned two minutes later with both drinks in hand. "Here you go. One small cappuccino."

"Thanks. Um, how much do I owe you?" Naomi asked.

"Oh no, you don't owe me anything. Business expense."

"So basically, you pay for my coffee, then we talk about your work. This is sounding an awful lot like a first date," Naomi remarked, tilting her head slightly and raising her eyebrows as if to challenge Emily to call it one.

"You wish, Naomi," she responded, not rising to the bait. "Sorry, but this girl is a bit busy for a love life."

"So basically, you're desperate?" Naomi joked. Emily didn't exactly take it as such.

"What do you mean desperate? You don't think a relatively attractive girl like me could get a date? Are you blind?" she blabbed, confusion practically written on her forehead in permanent marker.

"I'm not saying that. I just mean that you sound like you haven't been on a date in a long time," Naomi explained, maintaining whatever cool she could have when around Emily. She smiled tightly for a split second before it faded, her face now showing caring and concern for Emily's love life.

"Ok then. I'll pretend to believe you for the sake of the sanity we both still have," Emily remarked flatly, reaching for her bag. She pulled a few papers from it, placing them on top of the papers that were already waiting for them on the table. "Now then, these are some of the main sites your mom considered us booking for the reception."

"Is she having the after party or whatever at the same place?" Naomi questioned, making it clear that her and Gina had never talked about the wedding.

"Yeah, she is," Emily responded. "She wanted you to help narrow down the choices for her. She must really trust your judgment."

"I suppose so, but she has always hated decision making herself. She'd try to pawn it off on one of the randoms in our house. We had fifteen people living in our house at one point in time- and none of them were even paying rent! Talk about crazy, right?" Naomi exclaimed. "I'm just glad it's only the three of us now."

"The three of you?" Emily questioned.

"Kieran lives with us now. Surely you'd noticed?" Naomi responded.

"Oh, right. That makes sense."

"Good to know you're not blind," Naomi snarled. "Shit! Sorry again. Didn't mean it like that. I just… um… never mind," she panicked.

"It's fine. I like a little witty banter every once in a while- just don't overdo it," Emily responded. "I used to fight with either James or Katie all the time. Still do, when we're feeling up to it, but it's gotten better now that James is in college and Katie's helping mum with the business. She does a great job," she explained.

"That must be nice, having siblings. Well, I suppose you might not view it that way, but it can get a bit lonely, being an only child. I hate to admit it, but I almost liked having random people strolling in our home at any moment. It made me feel a bit less lonely, even if I wasn't really," Naomi told Emily, smiling at her slightly.

"What was it like with all those people there? Was it chaos?"

"Oh, it was chaos alright, but it was more organized chaos. My mum had a blackboard up in the kitchen with schedules and everything, and people would just walk around while trying to find jobs and then places to live. She once sent a guy to sleep in my bed after I had fallen asleep!" Naomi exclaimed. "I sleep naked, and he just remarked how I had the same haircut and everything that my mum had at that age! I mean, what kinds of people were they?"

"Wow."

"I know, right? Oh well, at least he was the worst of them. Oh, and whoever it was that stole the television from my room right on the night of a marathon!"

"Someone likes her telly," remarked Emily.

"Don't get me started. Life sucked when I was younger," Naomi agreed.

"Didn't it for all of us?"

Emily and Naomi continued to chat like this for about a half-hour, Naomi sorting through papers and pausing at times to be more invested in their conversation, the two of them slowly finishing their coffees. Eventually, Emily glanced at the clock.

"Shit! Mum's gonna kill me," she yelped, flinching slightly at how much time had passed in their idle conversation. "Are you done with those papers yet?"

"Just finished sorting them. Here's the good pile," Naomi responded, handing her the good pile before adding, "and here's the bad one. Stuff I was on the fence about is in the good pile."

"Thanks. You're rather organized," Emily remarked, smiling to herself.

"No problem. Thanks for the coffee," Naomi responded.

"We could do it again sometime if you'd like," Emily flirted.

"Emily Fitch! Are you asking me out on a date?" Naomi teased, elbowing her right where she held her bag. She winked at Emily, a smile on her face.

"It doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to," Emily replied.

"Two youngsters meeting for coffee a second time? That sure as hell sounds like a date to me. Feel free to let me know if I was in a coma for a decade or two, though," Naomi joked. She pulled out her phone. "You always have this, you know," she added, pointing to it. "Text me."

Emily watched as Naomi sauntered down the street towards her home, and she couldn't help but smile to herself. She bit her lip to hide it, glancing back at the coffee house. "Thank you for existing," she told the building.

The building didn't respond.

* * *

**Feel free to review and/or contact me on my tumblr:**

**sourpatchrehab(.)tumblr(.)com**

**Thanks again for the reviews. They brighten up my day.**


	4. Take Two

**Not Everything Goes as Planned**

**Chapter 04: Take Two**

* * *

"So how did your meeting with the butch bitch go?" Katie asked her sister. "You were gone a long time. Did you get to snogging, at least? I mean, after being gone that long, you at least had to have gotten a kiss, right?"

"We talked. Nothing really happened, but we're having coffee together again this weekend, and at least she called it a date. Plus, there was flirting during the coffee, so I figure she's at least somewhat into me, right?" Emily questioned.

"Well, there's always a chance that she's playing you for drinks, but if she seemed genuinely interested, then I'd say you might be getting a girlfriend soon. Congrats, I guess," Katie responded. "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Thanks?" Emily asked, her brows furrowed and head tilted to the side.

"No problem. I'll have to let you know of a few restaurants sometime soon, won't I? Also, there are a few places to avoid at all costs. Are you looking to spoil her right away, or do you want to play the 'I might be interested' card?"

"Fuck's sake, I don't know. I mean, I don't want to look bad, but I can't look desperate. That would just ruin my chances with her," Emily worried.

"Please, she's been into you ever since she all but boned you at that party back in middle school," Katie snapped, checking her make up in the mirror.

"Actually, I kind of kissed her."

"WHAT? _You_ kissed _her?_ That explains a bit, I guess. Oh well," she shrugged. "She's still totally into you. Trust me- I would know."

* * *

Naomi woke to the sound of her cell phone. She grabbed it groggily, sitting up when she saw Emily's name on the screen. She flipped open her phone and read the message on the screen.

_Hey. Just thought it would be nice to upgrade that coffee to a dinner date, my treat?_

_X~Emily_

Naomi smiled at the screen, wondering if everyone got that "X" on the screen or if Emily had added it specifically for her. She smiled at the thought, then shook her head.

* * *

Emily looked down at her hand, phone vibrating in it.

"Already? I told you she likes you," Katie smirked, folding her arms across her chest. Emily returned the look, unamused with Katie's sudden interest in her love life. "What? I'm just saying that it's a good sign."

"Yeah, well, sometimes people send the wrong signals. I mean, we don't know if that's how she actually feels about me. It would be nice to know."

"Does she have any friends you could ask?"

"I doubt it. She didn't like many people here after you went and spread all those rumors about her. Cook's the only one who might know anything, and it'd be obvious to even a wanker like him why I'm asking. I'd have desperate permanently tattooed on my face in Naomi's eyes," Emily critiqued. Katie frowned.

"I'll ask him for you, then, if you want," Katie suggested.

"What the fuck? _You're_ going to help _me?_ You never do that," Emily gasped.

"Yeah, well, I kind of feel like I owe you for all the shit I put you through in the past. Sorry about that," Katie confessed. "Good luck on your date."

Emily shifted slightly, relaxing at the change in atmosphere. "Thanks." She just hoped that luck would be enough for Naomi to notice what a total dork she was.

"So what does that text say, anyways?" Katie asked.

"Oh! Right." Emily glanced down at her phone, reading the message that lit on the screen.

_Thanks for the offer, but it wouldn't be fair. I'll buy you coffee this round, and if all goes well, we'll talk about that second date._

_NC_

Emily smiled at the screen, remembering the words Katie had just spoken to her. The text must have used up a lot of her characters, and surely she had to condense her message, right? Maybe Naomi was into Emily after all.

* * *

Naomi ran down the staircase, hoping to elicit some sort of response from her mother about how she looked. "Hey mum, I'm headed out for a light snack. I'll be back soon," she told her.

"Oh, that's… nice. You look a bit dressed up for just a bite by yourself, though," Gina responded, glancing at the new jean skirt with leggings that Naomi had matched with her shirt that had the word innocence printed on it.

"This old outfit? It's just something I thought wouldn't make me look like I'm homeless. Is it wrong to want to look like I live somewhere?" Naomi challenged.

"No, not at all, love," Gina defended. "Just unusual from you."

* * *

Emily pulled her moped up to the Campbell residence, forcing down the kickstand with her heel. She pulled her extra helmet from the handlebar as she walked to the front door. She checked her dark jeans for any wrinkles one last time before knocking on the door. Two seconds later, it swung open, revealing Naomi in a new pair of black skinny jeans and a light blue camisole with a white fishnet top that ran down to her wrists. She had switched from her usual converse to plain dark blue flats. Emily glanced down Naomi's body, biting her lip. A slight grin reached her face, but Naomi was too busy staring at Emily's black and white striped top and the way it clung to her body to notice.

"Nice outfit," Emily commented, bringing her eyes back to look into Naomi's.

"Not a bad one yourself. I especially like the skirt. It really is flattering on you," she responded, raking her eyes quickly so as not to bring too much attention to herself. Emily simply handed Naomi her spare helmet.

"You ready to go? I brought the moped," she flirted, strutting back to the orange vehicle. "She's kind of my baby, in case you hadn't noticed."

"It's nice. It matches you well," Naomi told her, checking out Emily blatantly for the thousandth time. "It's a good choice for you. I like it."

"Thanks. You look nice too. It's a cute outfit," Emily replied, staring at Naomi. Naomi simply put on her helmet and hopped on the back of the moped, patting the spot in front of her.

"Shall we go get coffee now or what? After all, I don't know about you, but coffee is sounding great right about now," Naomi smiled, holding out a hand for Emily.

* * *

The women walked into the coffee shop they had went to last week. Emily was grinning slightly, as Naomi bit her lip to keep her grin from showing. The cashier looked at their hands uneasily, and Naomi didn't take this in a nice way.

"Excuse me? It is 2012, so the idea that you're offended or creeped out by this," Naomi started, holding up Emily's hand with her own and pointing with her free right hand, "is a load of rubbish. Now can we get our coffees, please?" she asked the teenager, free hand on her hip. She raised her eyebrows and tilted her head to prove her point, reaching into her back jean pocket for her wallet.

"S-sure," the boy choked, leaning away from the two of them. "What can I get you?" Not a single head had rose to look in their direction.

"I'd like a medium macchiato, please," Emily told him. "For here."

"One small café latte," Naomi requested. She handed him a tenner.

"Thank you," the boy responded. His hands shook slightly as he handed Naomi her change. "H-have a nice day. Your order w-will be ready in a minute."

"Thanks. Come on then, Ems?" Naomi quipped, tugging at Emily's hand.

"Sure. Sounds good," Emily smiled. She followed her to wait for their beverages.

"Sorry about that. Was I being too harsh?" Naomi questioned, licking her lips slightly as she glanced over to the baristas to check on their progress and make sure they didn't do anything to Emily's drink. She glared at the back of the one currently pouring a drink.

"No, it's fine. You just caught him a bit off-guard. He really doesn't have a right to judge, though, now does he?" Emily reasoned, watching Naomi continue to glare at the workers. Naomi raised her eyebrows as she pointed to her eyes and then at the employee currently pouring Emily's macchiato. The teenager walked over to them, one drink in each hand.

"Here's your order, ladies," she stated, smiling that smile that told both Naomi and Emily that she obviously hated her job.

"Thanks," Emily replied, taking her drink. Naomi only smiled at the lady and grabbed hers. Naomi pulled Emily's hand gently, leading her to one of the two-seater tables near the middle of the shop.

"So you never told me about yourself, really," Naomi began. "What was life for you like, then?"

"Well, as you know, I'm a twin. Life as a twin can be rather difficult when your sister wants you to live like her. She started the whole boyfriend thing when we were only seven. It took her ten years to actually be single for more than a day after that. That's actually shortly before I came out to her, to be honest. I stuck with her during most of lower sixth form, but eventually I just realized what it was doing to myself. After that, it took a while, but I found a way to start coming out. When I told my one friend, JJ, he nearly fainted. I'm just glad he was sitting when I told him.

"There was a lot that happened after that. I had chatted a bit with Effy about it, but she was Katie's friend, so I couldn't talk too much to her. Thomas wasn't much help, either, but that might have been because he was busy chasing Pandora. It got really crazy around then, but eventually, I came out to Katie. There were only two weeks left before finals, and we fought like crazy. I'm just glad we didn't kill each other over it. The rest of the family found out that summer. My mom all but chucked me to the streets. Life sucked for a while, but it got better, and now here I am," Emily finished, holding up her drink for a second before she took a gulp of it.

"Okay then, that was interesting. Sounds like college sucked for you," Naomi responded. "I mean, there was the parties, but that's all I've really seen of you before now. I kind of wish we had been in the same class, you know," she admitted. Naomi smiled at her coffee, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Me too, Naomi. Sorry I didn't keep in tough with you after forcing Panda to invite you to her party," Emily admitted.

"Wait, that was you?" Naomi asked, her voice laced with disbelief. "I always assumed Effy or Pandora was playing games with my head. If I'd have known, well, that would have been nice."

"Yeah. It's funny, how much one little event can change everything," Emily chuckled. She tucked a loose strand behind her ear, still smiling slightly. "You know, I'm sorry about how things were between my sister and you. It was wrong of her to just treat you like that."

"It's fine, really. That's old news, you know, like water under the bridge. Don't worry about it, and besides, it was your sister, not you," Naomi smirked. "It was your sister, right?" she joked, leaning towards Emily. She chuckled as a result, her hand reaching up to her face. She took a deep breath, then exhaled, still smiling from the idea.

"No, that – that was definitely Katie," she managed to say, still rather amused. "We did try to trick teachers into thinking that one of us was the other all the time when we were younger, though. It was hilarious."

"So people actually do that, then? Wow, compared to you two, I think I was an angel in school. I mean, I argued with a few teachers, and I did ditch two or three classes to go to protests and rallies, but hey, in my defense, those were really important! I mean, how many people get to say that they protested for the Equality Act 2010? Not many!" Naomi exclaimed.

"You protested for that? That's great! I wanted to go, but my family wouldn't have let me, and I had only come out shortly before that law passed."

"Yeah, well, it's fine. They're looking to make same–sex civil marriage legal, so I don't see why you couldn't go to support that," Naomi told Emily.

"It's a date!" Emily replied, smiling and finishing another gulp of coffee.

Naomi grinned nervously and shifted in her seat.

* * *

Naomi had almost made it inside her house before she turned around, a small but still audible, "Ah!" exiting her mouth as she jogged back over to Emily. "I had a great time," Naomi told her, kissing her cheek quickly.

Emily broke into a crazy grin, grabbing Naomi's hand so she couldn't head back to the house. "Me too," she responded, pecking her on the lips quickly. "I'll text you, okay?"

"Sounds great!" Naomi exclaimed, watching Emily screech off to the Fitch residence. As soon as Emily was out of sight, she slumped against the wall.

"You can't let your heart do this to you again, Naomi. Keep your head in the goddamn game!" she criticized herself, knowing she was already fucked.

* * *

Emily climbed into bed, her old camisole bunching slightly against the mattress. Her sister entered the room just as she was about to turn off the lights.

"How was the coffee, then?" Katie asked.

"Great," Emily replied simply. She smiled, knowing that she'd be losing some sleep tonight over how to ask and take Naomi on a proper date soon.

* * *

**Feel free to review and/or contact me on my tumblr:**

**sourpatchrehab(.)tumblr(.)com**

**Really, though, thanks for the past reviews! I'm glad you guys are enjoying this. It's been so much fun to write.**


	5. Texts and Chats

**Not Everything Goes as Planned**

**Chapter 05: Texts and Chats**

* * *

Naomi stared at the text on her cell's screen, unsure of what to do. On the one hand, she liked Emily- a lot. She really did. On the other, though, she didn't know if she could do this. It wasn't… her. She sighed again, sitting against her bed's side, leaning her head back onto the edge of the mattress. There was only one way for her to respond if she didn't want to stress too much. The only problem was if Emily started asking questions. Naomi hated getting caught in the middle of anything, especially if it was technically unavoidable. She glanced back to the phone screen, reading the message to herself.

_Hey, Naomi. Just wondered if you were up for dinner this week._

_X~Emily_

* * *

Emily woke with a start to her new ringtone. She smiled the second she heard it, knowing by the song that it was Naomi's reply text. The screen confirmed this as soon as she unlocked her phone.

_I'm a bit busy this week. How about next Friday or Saturday?_

_NC_

"Hey Katie, if she says she's busy, but tries to just move the date, what does that mean?" Emily asked.

"Well, it means that she either has shit plans she can't weasel out of and will be thinking of you the entire time, or she's trying to not seem too desperate, which just makes her look kind of, well, desperate. Girl's got it bad for you," Katie explained, smirking slightly at the fact that her sister would very soon be off her back if all went well. "I'm talking real bad."

Emily smiled at this. "So how bad am I?" she inquired.

"Horrible. You keep bitching at me with these random questions that you should totally know the answer to, but for some reason don't. It would actually be cute if it weren't for how much you can nag me over everything," Katie scoffed. She checked her hair in the mirror, teasing it with a compact leopard print brush.

"Such as why you always want leopard print with you? I swear, that stuff's like catnip to you," Emily bantered.

"Kind of like how Naomi's your catnip?" Katie shot back.

"That's different! I don't need Naomi around every single minute of every day. You're surgically attached to leopard print. It's almost scary how in love you are with a type of fabric, really."

"Oh, sure. You don't need Naomi. That's the best joke I've ever heard," Katie deadpanned, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You talk about her all the time. You're borderline obsessed with her. It's almost like you're stalking her."

"She's stalkable. So what?" Emily asked, shrugging for emphasis. Katie shot her sister a confused look before turning back to the mirror.

"Look, you'll have to go this alone. I'd take any date you can get now. She might not be interested if you stall too long before date number two."

"Date number two? Isn't this number three?"

"No, the first coffee never counts. Everybody knows that. It's, like, the laws of dating or some shit," Katie explained as if it was obvious.

"Yeah, well, rules in Lesbos Island tend to be a bit different. We're allowed to wear plaid and jeans to a first date if we want, though I don't know why anyone would want to do that. It's kind of weird, don't you think? I mean, people are already gonna know you're a lesbian. They don't need the plaid to prove it. Right?" Emily looked to her sister for some form of agreement, but Katie only shrugged. "Oh, well that's nice of you. You could at least pretend like you agree with me," she challenged.

"I don't really care, seeing as I'm a flaming heterosexual," Katie remarked. Emily snickered at this, remembering several occasions when Katie had gotten totally wasted and ended up snogging another girl. One time, she had even told Emily that she thought she was getting lucky. "What? It's true," she defended.

"Only when you're not drunk off your head," Emily retorted. "You've had some interesting moments. It makes me proud to be your sister." Emily placed both hands over her heart while mimicking a sniffle.

"I call bullshit," Katie remarked a bit too quickly.

"Nope, it actually happened."

"I'm asking Effy tonight. We're going clubbing with Pandora and Cook tonight. Cook's got some new mix that he thinks will get him laid like three times tonight. I doubt it, so I'm gonna rob the poor bastard of a few quid."

"Good luck. Doubt you'll need it, though. I think I've got a date to arrange. You know any good restaurants to take her? What does she like to eat?" Emily asked.

"I'll ask Cook, I guess. Will it get you to stop bitching to me all the time about this? I don't have to hear 'Naomi this, Naomi that' all the time, you know. Not everyone's madly in love with her," Katie scoffed at her sister.

"Doesn't mean I can't be. Her sense of humor's the greatest I've heard in years, you know. Plus, she cares. I don't see you talking about any of your precious boyfriends like that," Emily snapped. She smirked at Katie. "Do you even care about them?"

"Of course. Whatever. See you later. I've got stuff to do," she lied.

"What stuff?" Emily questioned, tilting her head as she raised her eyebrows.

"Stuff."

* * *

Gina stirred her morning coffee gently, glancing every so often at the entryway. She swore that Naomi would have arrived downstairs for breakfast by now. It was so unlike her to still be asleep at half nine.

All of a sudden, Naomi came trampling down, causing her to run into the doorframe. She let out a small, "ouch!" before rubbing her head slightly. "Oh, hey mum," she added. "Morning."

"It's rare to see you up this late. Usually you're awake just after eight. Did something happen to you? Are you feeling okay?" Gina quizzed Naomi. Her face showed signs of worry, and Naomi paused for a moment, mouth open.

"Um… I'm fine. I think I just need to put the books down earlier," Naomi fibbed, scratching at the back of her neck. She smiled tightly.

"You haven't read anything all week," Gina challenged her. "Are you running a fever? Would you like me to check?" Naomi's eyes widened slightly.

"NO! No. I'm fine, really," she insisted. "Really, I was just reading about some new job offers, but I don't know if I've even got a shot at most of them. It's kind of tough, you know? I just didn't think there would be this much competition in my field of business."

"Well, nobody expects for there to be that much competition, and I suppose we get a bit overconfident. It happens. Keep your head high," Gina encouraged.

"Thanks, I guess. I will." Naomi shifted her weight onto one foot. "Anyways, I'm heading out. One of my old shirts ripped, and I'd like to get a new one."

"Are you sure you aren't just going to get an outfit so you can impress a certain someone?" Gina asked her.

"What makes you think that?" shot Naomi.

"Let's see. You did change three times before going out the other day. You told me you were headed out for a snack, only to and change again. I've never seen you do that before," she stated casually. "Thus, you've either got a date soon, or you ran out to murder someone. I suppose both are likely explanations with you, though, so I am a bit worried."

"Promise you won't freak?" Naomi asked her mother. She licked her lips slightly, leaning against the doorframe as worry spread across her face.

"Please tell me it was politically related, this murder."

"Actually, it's Emily."

Gina's head shot up to look at Naomi, bewildered. "You killed Emily?" she almost screamed. "What has gotten into you?"

"No no no no no, I didn't mean that." Naomi inhaled sharply, bracing herself for her mother's reaction to what left her mouth next. "We've got a date."

Gina breathed a sigh of relief. "That's nice, love. You two get along great. Let me know how it goes. Is this a business or romantic date?" she inquired.

Naomi didn't answer. She just stood there with her jaw threatening to touch the floor.

"I'm assuming that's a romantic date, then? Have fun," Gina commented. She proceeded to pick up the paper, scanning the headlines for any news worth reading. Once again, Naomi was speechless. After almost a minute, she simply closed her mouth and stomped off to buy something Emily would like seeing her wear.

* * *

Emily strolled through the old store, looking for a new dress that didn't make her look awful. Normally she was good at this, but for some reason, everything looked awful to her today. She was about ready to just bang her head against the wall until her skull cracked and her brain leaked from her cavity. "Fuck," she muttered under her breath, earning a glare from one of the employees.

Something caught her eye. It was a basic dress, nothing too fancy, and the maroon wouldn't clash too badly. It had two straps, so it would be classy, and there weren't any intricate patterns sewn into the fabric. She smiled to herself and prayed to god that the dress would fit her.

"If you're there, it would be nice to make this dress fit," she whispered aloud as she made sure her mouth moved as little as possible.

* * *

Naomi stared at her phone, hoping for a call or text to confirm her plans for tomorrow. Gina glanced at Naomi every so often from over her book, smiling softly each time she did so. After a while, Naomi sighed, rising from her seat to prepare something to eat. Just as she did, the phone rang, and the younger Campbell nearly dropped a plate dashing to reach the phone.

"Hello?" Naomi asked the phone, the word coming out of her mouth at an almost incomprehensible speed.

"Hey, you," came Emily's voice through the other end of the speaker. At the sound of her voice, Naomi toed at the ground slightly, leaning against the countertop for support. "I just wanted to see if we're still on for tomorrow night. That is the plan, right?" she asked.

"Sure, that sounds great. When should we meet?" Naomi glanced at Gina as she spoke, suddenly stiffening and attempting to erase all of her body language.

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll just swing by at around… half six sound good to you?" Naomi paused, tilting her head as another smile snuck its way on her face.

"Works for me if it works for you," she responded.

"Great then. I can't wait. See you then." Emily told her, excitement creeping into her voice.

"Yeah, see you then. Have a nice day?" Naomi asked.

"Sure. Well, I think Katie's trying to drag me out, so I've got to go."

"Oh right. Sorry, bye then."

"Bye."

Both girls hung up the phone awkwardly after a second or two, and then Emily turned to her sister.

"How was that?" she questioned.

"You are the worst romantic in the history of dating. I'm ashamed to have you as a sister," Katie replied simply. "Now come on, Cook's new drug mix is tops. You have to try it at least once, plus you can talk to him about date tips."

Emily sighed, grabbing her phone so that she could still text Naomi if needed. "Do you think she considers us girlfriends yet?"

"How the fuck would I know? I'm straight."

* * *

**As usual, I'm loving the reviews. Thanks everyone!**

**My tumblr: sourpatchrehab(.)tumblr(.)com**


	6. Eating Out

**Not Everything Goes as Planned**

**Chapter 06: Eating Out**

* * *

Emily grabbed her cell phone, turning to her sister. She flattened her maroon dress slightly again before asking, "Okay, how do I look?"

"That Campbell bitch won't know what hit her," Katie chuckled. Emily shot Katie a look of disbelief.

"Don't call my might-be-my-girlfriend a bitch! It's rude," Emily chastised, placing her hands on her hips. "I won't allow it, okay?"

"You know it's just a habit, right? I don't mean it as a bad thing," Katie reasoned. "Look, I'll try to stop, okay?"

"Fine. Anyways, I have to go. Can't be late," Emily stated, opening the door to the hall. She ran down the stairs, leaving Katie to find some random club.

* * *

Naomi sat at the foot of the stairs, checking her watch yet again. By now, she was all but staring at the second hand. She glanced at the door before setting her eyes back on the watch. It was currently 6:25 pm, which meant that according to their agreement, Emily would arrive in another five minutes. Naomi sighed again, hoping that she was just panicking for no reason.

"Do you think she'll be here soon?" Naomi yelled to her mother. "I was really hoping that she'd be here soon." Sighing, her mother opened her mouth to respond. Just as she was about to speak, though, there was the sound of a vehicle coming towards the house. She jumped to answer the door, only to turn around and walk back to halfway up the stairs. The vehicle- either a motorcycle or moped- stopped at what had to be in front of their house, and Naomi couldn't stop the grin that broke out on her face from the sound. She bit her lower lip as she checked her dress for wrinkles; silently hoping the dark blue wouldn't clash with whatever Emily was wearing.

Footsteps approached, and they stopped for about three seconds before the doorbell rang, the sound resounding through the hall. Naomi took a quick deep breath before she all but ran to the door and opened it.

"Hey there," she flirted the second she saw Emily standing in front of her. "I was just about to head on a date. Have you seen an Emily Fitch around here?"

"Yes, actually," Emily responded without missing a beat. "She seems to be standing at your door at this very moment." The girls looked at each other, Emily smiling ever so slightly as Naomi raised her eyebrows and attempted- and somehow managed- to hold back a grin.

"Well then, I guess I had better go on this date. I'm actually looking forward to it," she teased. "Shall we?"

"We shall," Emily replied, offering to take Naomi's hand. She gladly accepted, the two exchanging a look. The door closed behind the two of them.

"Never in my life have I seen my daughter act that way," Gina told the empty house. "I pray to god that I never have to see it again."

* * *

The entire ride to the restaurant had been spent in silence, Naomi simply keeping a grip around Emily's abdomen, head buried in her left shoulder. Both girls had slight smiles plastered on their faces, the wind teasing their hair slightly. Emily was used to it, but Naomi secretly wished that she had pulled it into a ponytail or maybe a bun so it wouldn't be so messy in front of Emily. She soon realized not to worry about that, since Emily's hair would be the same way. It didn't hurt that to Naomi, Emily's hair looked hot somewhat wind-tossed, though.

They arrived at the restaurant within 15 minutes and were immediately seated. Naomi glanced around the restaurant curiously as Emily honed in on the menu the second they sat down. Neither of them had any real idea how to talk to the other. Emily tried to focus on her menu, but kept sneaking glances at her date. Any time Naomi looked at Emily, she immediately attempted to stare a hole through her menu. Naomi traced circles with her foot under the table, her low heels wearing slightly along with the floor.

"So… what are you planning on ordering?" Emily finally asked Naomi, looking over the top of her menu sheepishly.

"Well, there's definitely some good soups, and I'm thinking it might be best to stick with a pasta dish," Naomi commented. She smiled tightly, shifting slightly in her seat. "Um, and what about you?"

Emily glanced at her menu. "I'm more used to salads than soups, so I'm just getting the house one. I'm still undecided on the main course, though."

Naomi let out a small chuckle. "Undecided? What is this, a uni major?" She straightened slightly in her seat, glancing away from Emily for a second as she started to fidget. Emily was too busy laughing to her to notice. "Sorry," she mumbled under her breath.

"What for? That was funny," Emily questioned. "I get that you have a sarcastic sense of humor. That's fine. There's nothing wrong with it."

Naomi smiled at this, picking up her fork and twirling it in circles. She kept her eyes on the words printed on the menu while slowly bringing her trembling hand to the top of it. Emily noticed this and reached to the top of her own menu, quickly making sure their hands were touching, even if only by the outsides of their fingers. Emily started to open her hand slightly so she could rest hers on top of Naomi's.

"Hey, are you ready to order yet?" the waitress asked with her notepad and pen in hand, completely oblivious to the moment she was so unkindly interrupting. Naomi gasped slightly and snapped back her menu, her hand leaving the table as well. Emily's smile fell from her face faster than a bolt of lightning.

"Could we have another minute or two? I'm still deciding," Emily asked with a false sweetness in her voice. The waitress simply nodded and left, putting away her pen and notepad.

"What was that?" Naomi inquired with a simple curiosity. "You seemed a bit… upset over something."

"It's nothing really," Emily lied, motioning with her hand for emphasis. "I guess I'm just a bit hungry."

"Did I do something? Because you know you can tell me if I did something, right, Ems?" Naomi asked her, tilting her head. She furrowed her eyebrows slightly, a frown planted on her lips.

Emily bit her lip at this, a small smile tugging at her lips. The smile was somewhat false, though. "I suppose I was just surprised when you pulled your menu away is all. Sorry if I overreacted," she admitted.

"Why would you apologize for that?" Naomi asked, dumbfounded. "That was a shit move on my part, and I'm the one who should be saying sorry." Naomi emphasized this by placing her hand on Emily's. Emily smiled at this gesture, then noticed how nervous Naomi looked.

"No one cares, you know."

Naomi's head snapped up from the menu. "What?"

"That this is a date. No one cares," Emily reassured her.

Naomi bit her lip, unsure of how to respond to this. "I know," she finally managed. Emily simply looked back at her menu, expressionless.

* * *

Emily was laughing at the sight of Naomi. It wasn't like she was doing anything that should seem funny, since she was just eating. It was the fact that she was eating with her left hand and showing the world that she _clearly_ was a righty. It hadn't even occurred to Naomi to simply let go of Emily's hand, so Emily just let Naomi eat her bowtie pasta as well as she could with her bad hand.

"You seem to like your meal," Naomi finally commented, pointing with her fork to Emily's salmon in spaghetti.

" Yeah. I suppose you're having a blast with your meal," Emily jested, smirking at Naomi. Naomi simply smiled slightly as she looked at their hands, her own over Emily's, resting at the middle of the table.

"It's worth it."

* * *

Emily insisted on paying as they left, even though Naomi attempted to grab the check first. She pulled a few twenties from her purse, and when the check returned, left the waitress a fairly gratuitous tip. Naomi smiled at this small act- she had waited on tables for a few months way back when and loved it when people left large tips.

"Ready to go back then?" Emily asked Naomi, grabbing one of the helmets she had locked onto her moped. She handed that one to Naomi, grabbing her own the second Naomi took the other.

"Yeah. Thanks for the meal. It was lovely." Naomi smiled gently at Emily before leaning in to kiss her lightly.

"You're welcome. Your company makes it worth going," Emily replied, knowing she probably sounded over-the-top cheesy but not giving a damn about it. "Thanks for agreeing to this."

"Sure. My pleasure. Anytime," Naomi managed to say as she suddenly found herself reduced to simple one or two word fragments. Emily got on the moped, Naomi joining her by wrapping her arms around Emily's waist, this time more firmly than when they had first traveled here. "Shall we go, then?" she asked.

"We shall," Emily replied, and with that, she turned the key in the ignition and the moped roared its engine against the rather still night.

* * *

Emily didn't want to have to leave Naomi, but she knew that they were at the Campbell house, and that meant the pain of being apart from the girl she was falling for fast and hard. She stalled slightly by unclipping Naomi's helmet for her, resting it against one of the handlebars as she took off her own so she wouldn't have a helmet on as she walked her maybe date, maybe girlfriend to the door.

"Well, this is it, I guess," Naomi finally commented, fiddling with her hands slightly. "Thanks again for the great meal. I really enjoyed, um, it."

"It was nice being with you," Emily stated honestly. She took a deep breath and leaned in, kissing Naomi on the lips. Naomi seemed to be expecting more words from Emily's mouth, so it took her a few seconds to register what was happening. When she did, she began to move her lips against Emily's slowly. Emily noticed this and placed her one hand on Naomi's neck with the other snaking its way to the small of her back. Naomi deepened the kiss slightly as she wrapped her arms around Emily's neck, her body leaning into Emily's slightly from the waist. Emily started to snake her hand through Naomi's locks, sliding her tongue against Naomi's lower lip. Naomi started to open her mouth to allow Emily access.

All of a sudden, the door swung open, revealing a twat-swat in the form of one Gina Campbell. Naomi and Emily immediately tore themselves from each other, Emily toeing the pavement sheepishly as Naomi simply stood there, her face redder than a heart-shaped box of chocolates on Valentine's Day.

"Don't mind me, girls. You can keep snogging if you'd like," Gina told them, which only made Emily more determined to destroy either the pavement or her shoes and Naomi blush several shades deeper. Naomi immediately ran into the Campbell residence, which caused Emily to sigh and turn to head home.

* * *

**So I just discovered how to see how many people are subscribed to my story. My jaw dropped. I literally mean it. I'm love you guys. Feel free to review. Thanks everyone!**

**My tumblr: sourpatchrehab(.)tumblr(.)com**


	7. Clocks

**Not Everything Goes as Planned**

**Chapter 07: Clocks**

* * *

Emily was not mad. No, mad was not the right word for this. If she were mad, there would be a fire in her stomach and she'd feel like it was working its way to her skin. Instead of a fire in her stomach, there was a knot, and it felt like the contents from the dinner she had just enjoyed so much would work its way up her throat, past the lump that was currently occupying it, and leave itself on the pavement. This was sheer pain, something that she had never quite grown accustomed to. She knew she would have to act normal, but she felt like she had just been to a battlefield and the battle had been a few days ago, but nobody had bothered to clean up after their soldiers. All she knew was that she didn't like it, and she definitely hadn't been expecting it.

* * *

Naomi sat at the kitchen table, hand trembling slightly. She knew that Emily would likely be on a rampage the next time they met, and she was going to have to find a way to stop that. She didn't want to see Emily hurt, and it honestly hurt her some that she was the one that had caused this amount of pain for her.

When her phone rang several minutes later, she looked down at the phone, hoping to see Emily's name on the screen. Of course it wouldn't be Emily, though. It just had to be _her._ Naomi prepared for an earful as she hit the accept button and brought her phone to her ear.

"Hey there, S. Sorry about not calling, but it, like, just ended." Naomi explained quickly. S was not someone to try and stall.

"Well, well. It's good to know that you actually can peel yourself away from a date when you have one. I'll file this away for future reference. What's her name again? Ellie?" S asked, trying to get Naomi a bit mad. She always knew how to push Naomi's buttons.

"Well, _actually,_ her name is Emily," Naomi retorted through gritted teeth. "I told you that several times now."

"That's nice. It's good to know that you care about her. Have wedding bells gone off in your head yet?"

"Fuck's sake! No!" Naomi screamed at the phone, holding it away slightly so as not to deafen her friend. "I'm gonna hang up on you now, seeing as how you're being a total tit to me."

"Have a nice night, Naomi!" S simply laughed into the phone, hanging up before Naomi could. Naomi stared at her phone for several seconds, shocked that she wasn't the one to hang up first.

"I so fucking hate you right now," she told the phone.

* * *

Emily tested the door handle. It was unlocked, which meant that her family was still awake. She would have to make it upstairs quickly if she didn't want too many questions. She tried to take a deep breath, but it was choppy and she was still shaking slightly. After a deep breath, she pulled out her phone to text Katie.

_Can you let me inside? Thanks._

_Ems._

She waited for about five minutes before Katie got to the door, a small grey sweatshirt in her hands. Katie took in Emily's figure; Emily's legs up on the pavement, hugged against her chest. Her hands were trying to hide inside the inner part of her elbows, and her forehead rested on her knees. "Hey Emily. Sorry it didn't go well. Do you think… you'll get another date? Do you want another date with her?" Katie asked, unable to disguise the concern in her voice. Katie wrapped the hoodie around Emily's scrunched figure delicately. She accepted it, pulling at it slightly with one hand.

"Hey- hey Katie." Emily managed to choke slightly on her words, her face showing surprise in the fact that she even said anything at all. "It- it was okay at first, I guess."

"So she screwed it all up later, since I know it wasn't you, right? You've always had a way with the ladies, kind of like me with the men," Katie reasoned, trying to compliment her sister but not really doing a great job at it.

"Well, it- it's complicated. I don't blame her, really. I guess I would've been a bit freaked if that sort of thing- if that sort of thing happened to me," Emily sputtered, trying to maintain some sense of calm. "It's not- I don't know, really. I guess- never mind."

"So you don't want to talk about it?" Katie asked, her voice cracking slightly.

"Not really. Just don't- don't get mad at her, okay? It's not really anybody's fault, I don't think," Emily ranted, trying to not care about what happened but failing miserably. "It's not- I shouldn't- hey Katie?"

"Yeah?" Katie asked out of habit.

"Why do people always have this power over us?" Emily wondered.

"Well, I think it's more that people screw us over when we don't want to. We care when we maybe shouldn't, and we don't care when we maybe should. It's tough, isn't it, knowing when to and not to care? Personally, I think I'm pretty good at knowing. You shouldn't let someone screw you over just because she can, okay? You have to stay strong and not give a shit sometimes. People can cause pain, but it's important to have people who care about you- people who won't hurt you. If this Campbell bitch is just going to hurt you, then maybe it's a sign that she isn't meant to be with you," Katie reasoned. "Is it really worth getting hurt to the point of stuttering for someone you've known for only a few weeks? You have to determine how much room you let her have. You're the boss of when you're okay with someone hurting you. If you give her too much room, it could ruin you someday. I, for one, don't want to see that. So if she hurts you too much, just let me know, and I'll go give her a piece of my mind for you," she exclaimed. Emily smiled up at her sister. Her mascara had run slightly, but all in all, she seemed better now.

"Thanks, Katie. You can be a bit of a cow sometimes, but when it's important, you sure seem to know what to say and do."

"It's my pleasure."

* * *

Jenna watched as Emily and Katie entered the house, noting how Emily's makeup seemed a bit off. It was probably from one of those cheesy romance movies that depicted love as having next to no problems, and given the dress Emily was wearing, she had to have gone with a girl she liked. So the question wasn't where she was- it was who she was with. Was this girl someone who also liked Emily, or was she chasing after a straight lady? She had seen the last time Emily had wanted a heterosexual girl. Needless to say, it hadn't ended well. The girl's boyfriend had all but challenged Emily to a duel.

Jenna decided that this was likely someone who Emily wasn't sure about in terms of their chances together. New girl, as Jenna referred to her, probably hadn't told Emily her sexuality or anything about past significant others yet. She knew that this was probably no time to pry, but if Emily was indeed getting a new girlfriend, Jenna would have to make sure that it was someone who was well suited to her little baby girl. If she wasn't any good for Emily (and let's face it, most of the time, given Emily's taste, they weren't), Jenna would just have to scare her away- subtly, of course.

* * *

Naomi called her friend as soon as she got back, and the two of them talked for the longest of time. S was one of the best advice-givers Naomi had met thus far, though that one girl from her college might have been a bit better. S had told Naomi that, yes, she had fucked up rather magnificently, but also reminded her to not assume that everything was ruined. Naomi sighed, picked up a pen, and began writing.

* * *

Emily stayed in bed that night, hugging her pillow with a defeated look on her face. Katie often would ask Emily if she was sure she didn't want to talk about it, but Emily simply shook her head. Katie held onto her sister's hand, refusing to sit there and do absolutely nothing for her. Katie swore that if Campbell didn't do something about whatever happened soon, there would be hell for her to pay. There would be no jury that could convict Katie for what she was prepared to do if Emily was hurt too much or too often, and Emily knew this. Still, it didn't mean that Emily would approve of Katie doing something unimaginable to Naomi; it just meant she knew that it could happen.

* * *

Naomi scratched her head, muttering silently to herself. She knew there had to be a way to explain why she was so scared without telling Emily too much, but for some reason, her know-it-all brain seemed to be running on empty at the moment. She shook her head to try to make her brain work properly, but all it did was make her head hurt some. There was only one way to deal with this and guarantee not feeling like a total fuck-up, but she didn't like it.

She glanced at her phone again, knowing that if she called, she would never hear the end of it. S could really help her, though. She seemed to have an idea that she simply hadn't given her yet, and lord knows Naomi could use some advice. She picked up the phone and let her finger hover over the call button.

"Fuck it. Might as well," she reasoned with herself, pressing down on the screen. It only took her a few seconds to get a response.

"Hey there, Naomi. Wasn't expecting a call from you. So what do you need then? Advice or information?" S asked her, a mixture of playfulness and curiosity working their way into her voice. She had a good idea of what was about to happen.

"Both, I think," Naomi confessed. "I think I fucked up big time, and you're the best at finding ways out of fuck-ups. You know how to fix almost any situation, I guess," Naomi told her, making sure to use flattery. With S, flattery got her just about anywhere and everywhere.

"I see we're trying to be a teacher's pet here," she responded, catching onto Naomi's plans immediately. "Since you seem so interested, here's one quick idea. Emily seems like the sort who's willing to forgive if she's given a good reason, but I don't think she appreciates when something's half-assed. You'll have to show that you actually care about her if she's going to forgive you. Let me guess, you were about to prepare some cautious speech or something shitty like that as we speak?"

"No!" Naomi lied, pushing the ripped-from-her-diary piece of paper into the rubbish bin. "I wanted to talk to you so I could figure out what the hell I'm supposed to do," she confessed, leaning back in her chair.

"I just told you, didn't I?"

"Well, I suppose you did. Thanks, S. You can be a real help when you're not busy with your head in the clouds. I'll try to let you know how it goes."

"Do it first thing tomorrow. That's your best shot at being honest _and_ getting her to forgive you. She'll be pissed if you wait too long before showing her how sorry you are," S cautioned.

"Thanks. Bye then," Naomi responded out of politeness before pressing the end call button. She set down her phone on her nightstand before changing into something for the night. She left the dress out for tomorrow, though, seeing as how she might need it for the morning. Tomorrow would tell Naomi some of what she wanted to know, if not all of it.

* * *

**So I'm trying something with this that might lose me a few readers, but I decided that if I change it for the readers to like it more, it's not really me writing it. Feel free to review.**

**Tumblr: sourpatchrehab(.)tumblr(.)com**


	8. Quarrels

**Not Everything Goes As Planned**

**Chapter 08: Quarrels**

* * *

Emily Fitch woke the next morning to the sound of a ringing doorbell. She rushed down the stairs to greet who she presumed would be JJ or maybe Cook. When she opened the door, though, the face that was there shocked her.

"Hey," Naomi smiled. She wore the same dress she had on yesterday, but her low heels were switched for flats. Her makeup was all removed, and there was only a hint of a perfume on her. "I'm sorry. I was a total prick last night, and I really, really shouldn't have done that to you."

"You can't change the past. Come on inside. Did you have breakfast yet, or should we make something?" Emily asked, opening the door wider. At this exact moment, footsteps started on the staircase.

"What's wrong? Was it some door-to-door wanker? Did you give him a nice little birdie, or did you just tell him you're gay?" Katie paused as she bothered to lift her head to see who was at the door.

"That's rather fucking polite of you," Naomi accused, crossing her arms over her chest. "Anything else you'd like to say to me, Katie?" she snapped.

"Oh hey Naomi. I didn't realize you'd be over today," Katie said, hoping that was polite enough to not get an earful from Emily on lesbian etiquette later. She fled the scene before Emily could do anything to cause her permanent damage.

"Sorry about my sister. That was a bit better than usual."

"It's fine, actually," Naomi commented, sighing slightly afterwards. "My dad, um, my birth dad, he left my mum, you know. I guess… maybe fleeing's simply in my DNA. I'm sorry. I'll work to control it, okay? All I know is that I have to try my best at this, and if I can, then great. It won't be an overnight thing, though. You'll have to put up with me for a while, I think. All I can promise, really, is my best. So… that's why I'm here. I promise you my best, okay? I'm sorry," Naomi confessed, her entire body shaking visibly. Emily exhaled without realizing that she had been holding her breath the entire time Naomi spoke. She walked over to Naomi and put her arms over her. Emily rested her chin in Naomi's hair as Naomi grabbed onto one of Emily's arms with both her hands.

"It's okay, Naomi. It's okay," Emily whispered to her. "We all have our problems. At least you're trying to do something about yours." She placed a soft kiss on Naomi's head, hugging her tighter. The two of them stood together like this for a few minutes, and there was a pause in the conversation. "Are you worried that you can't change this?" Emily finally asked.

Naomi considered how much of herself to reveal to Emily with her next answer. "Scared."

Just that word felt like the biggest gamble she ever took.

* * *

Naomi ran towards her friend's house, flats clacking loudly against pavement. She checked her phone for a message. Sure enough, she had a text from her, presumable offering last-minute advice. Naomi pressed the read button to open the message.

_How was it? Be sure to send her a follow-up text soon._

Naomi smiled at this before realizing how typical this text was from her. "Oh fuck, you did not just pull this on me, S. This is not some random event for you to go and screw up with your cow-like commands, bitch," she seethed, about ready to go on a murder rampage. She hit a number on her speed dial.

"Hello?" a voice asked innocently about five seconds later.

"You're such a tit sometimes, you wanker," Naomi scolded into her phone.

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed," she responded.

"Fuck you, Steph," Naomi snapped.

"I already gave you that chance, and last I checked, you didn't take it. So really, let's come up with a more mature response next time, shall we?" Steph teased. "Or are we really that arse-over-tits about this Emily girl?"

"She's not… never mind. Anyways, I guess I should at least thank you for that advice. It was tough, but I think it was worth it. I still hate you for being a total fucking twat about giving me advice, though. If you hadn't bothered with the idea of astronomy for so long, I bet you'd be writing an advice column as we speak."

"So I like stars and that shit. What's the big bloody deal? For a lesbian, you can be very judgmental, you know," Steph stated. Naomi swore that Steph was leaning back in some chair, feet resting on some desk or table. "What happened to no hate? Did you leave your imru shirt at home?" Naomi took a deep breath to collect her thoughts before she said anything she'd regret.

"You know that I don't even have a shirt like that," she reasoned. "Look, can we just stop bitching at each other long enough for me to get some feedback on how to not totally blow this with Ems? I really, really don't want this to get all fucked up because of me. Remember last time?"

"Oh, god. That's gonna be one to laugh over," Steph chuckled lightly. "I can't believe you actually said that to her! Were you _trying_ to get bitch of the year award or did you just win?"

"I hate you," Naomi deadpanned.

"Which is exactly why you're friends with me. Have I ever told you that your logic is flawless?" Steph teased, a false sweetness lacing into her voice. "Anyways, I'm gonna hang a bit later with Rachel, ok?" Rachel was an old friend of Steph's. She had met then during their first year at Uni, and despite Naomi and Rachel not getting along that well, Steph and Rachel became really close friends at an alarming rate. The two would constantly talk to each other about TV shows, and Steph would rope Rachel into watching a "gay's show" every once in a while in exchange for Steph watching some "heterosexist crap" with Rachel. It was rather amusing how Steph always seemed to get along best with those who would constantly quarrel with her. She blamed it on the fact that her brother, Matt, never came out of his bedroom unless he needed food or something else important and her mother would argue with her over Steph's being a pansexual, even if said mom had no idea what that meant. "Anyways, mum's being a bit of a bitch again. I've got to go tame the dragon- or at least not be killed by her."

"Good luck," Naomi chuckled, shaking her head slightly at Steph's ability to laugh at her own misfortune. "I'm sure you'll need it. I'll keep some for when I talk to Emily next, okay? I think I need it more than you."

* * *

Jenna Fitch knew that Emily had found a new girl recently. Emily had been super smiley this morning, and she almost forgot her breakfast. Emily had always obsessed over meals. There was only one reason she wouldn't be obsessed- and usually she was at least interested in eating when she found someone, so this was a bit of a big deal. She didn't care much about that so much as the fact that she hadn't heard anything about it. Emily was keeping this new girl away from Jenna. That could only mean one thing. New girl was obviously a bad choice of girlfriend for Emily, but she wasn't looking for her mother's approval. Emily had always been rebellious, but Jenna had never seen Emily keep a new girl so well hidden before. How long had Emily been sneaking around behind her back? Was it big, or was this one-sided? This would require some digging on her part, but Jenna was confident she could get to the bottom of this.

* * *

Katie had to do something. Obviously Emily cared about this Naomi- no, Campbell- bitch, and Katie didn't want to do something that would make her sister hate her. Jenna would find out soon enough, though, and Katie wasn't sure if she could do much about it.

"Make sure mum doesn't get to your phone. She might have noticed something's up with the way you have no poker face," Katie warned Emily. It would at least buy Emily a week or two if she was careful enough around their mum, and that would hopefully be all she needs.

"Thanks, Katie, but I think I've got this under control. Don't worry," Emily told Katie, throwing her an "A for effort" look.

"But mum almost met Naomi this morning! She only arrived like five minutes after she left to spend old lady time with her friends! Imagine if she hadn't been out and about with the other ladies. Then we would have really had a run-in, isn't that right?" Katie reasoned. "So I'd be a bit more careful if I were you. You and I both know how crazy mum can go when she wants to know about something, and she's not exactly blind."

"Fine! I'll keep my phone on me, for Christ's sake. Happy?" Emily retorted.

"That'll do," Katie simply responded, smiling to herself.

* * *

"Wait, so you thought that… oh, that is just fuckin' brill, Naoms!" Cook exclaimed, pointing a lit joint in Naomi's general direction. Naomi was busy making a small assortment of food for god knows what reason.

"Well, it totally ruined everything! Can you fucking blame me? You know that I can be a bit all or nothing," Naomi protested.

"It was one little slip-up, not the zombie apocalypse. You never know when to keep calm, do you?" Cook shot at her.

"Not really," Naomi confessed sheepishly. "I guess I panic a bit. Probably explains why you won class president back at college." She turned to grab a sauce from the fridge, pouring its contents into a pan.

"Yeah, but that was really your win, what with the help you gave me," Cook retorted. "I think the whole school would've fooking worshiped you if they knew all that shadow president work you did. It would've been Queen Campbell, forget the presidency," he complimented her.

"Yeah, maybe," she half-agreed. "They seemed like a load of wankers to me, though. No one ever really would've cared who did the work for them so long as it got done. I guess you could say that's part of why I'm not running in politics myself. I just don't think the people care much about who runs so long as they've got someone to care in their stead these days," Naomi confessed. "It's just one of those sad truths."

"Aw, come on now, Naomikins," Cook reasoned. "You got me to care… a bit. That's gotta be worth something, ain't it?"

"I guess. Do you really think this'll work?" she inquired. "I mean, Ems seemed like she was, I dunno, playing nice just because she was too tired to deal with me. Does that… do you get what I mean by that?" Naomi rambled, trying to see things in a positive light. She frowned at her food, displeased with its current state. "I just don't want her to leave me because of one fucked-up date. I want to show her that I can do better, but I don't know. I'm not used to this shit. Relationships are hard. I can understand why you avoid them."

"I don't avoid them, they just don't like me," Cook reasoned. "If a relationship wanted me, it'd bother to put in some effort, don't you think?" he stated as if it were the most obvious thing ever.

"Maybe, or maybe one's just waiting for you to make it happen," Naomi countered. "Kind of like with me."

"Yours was handed to you on a bloody platter," Cook corrected her. He had a knowing grin plastered on his face. "It's just proof that you wait long enough, you'll get a relationship."

"Not always, Cook. Sometimes you've got to give something first. I just got lucky as hell," Naomi scolded him. "You're being a wanker, you know."

"Maybe, but you hardly have to do anything," Cook countered.

"And what does this look like?" Naomi asked him, pointing at the random food that she had been preparing. "If you answer with a fucking walk in the park, you won't have that disease-ridden cock of yours for much longer," Naomi threatened. "Though I would need to find a pair of gloves first, since you and I both know that I refuse to touch one directly," she added.

"I'm just saying that you got pretty damn lucky, Blondie," Cook stated, shrugging.

"Can't argue with you there, buddy. Can't argue with you there."

* * *

**As always, feel free to review.**

**Tumblr: sourpatchrehab(.)tumblr(.)com**

(Yes, I did mean for S to seem like Sophia, but she won't be in this until later.)


	9. Fresh Air

**Not Everything Goes as Planned**

**Chapter 09: Fresh Air**

* * *

Naomi looked over her bag's contents for the umpteenth time. She swore there had to be something missing, but as she dug through the sandwiches, fruits, and multitude of beverages, she couldn't think of a single thing she might need that wasn't already there.

"Wow, Naomikins, someone's totally into her new girl. I don't think I've seen you this thorough since… ever, actually. That Emily girl is awfully lucky," Cook teased. He smirked at her, adding, "I want details about this date."

"Well, seeing as she doesn't currently know about the date, there might not even be one. She did say that she is free today, though. Let's hope her sister didn't get to her first," Naomi sighed, zipping the bag closed. "If she did, well, I'll have food here that's for nothing."

"Aw, don't be like that. I can get rid of as much food as you won't eat. You know I'm more than willing to support the cause," Cook joked, throwing Naomi a friendly wink. "Especially where free food's involved."

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm hoping that I won't need to take you up on it. I'd like this to be a nice little getaway date," Naomi responded. She glanced up at him, adding, "Thanks for the concern, I guess, though. It is nice to know that you care about the state of the food at least, if not my mental health," she teased. She checked over her clothes for wrinkles, smoothing the fabric with her hands. "Well then, I guess I'd better get to wooing a young lady, eh? I'll see you later then, Cook."

* * *

Emily sat at the dinner table, going through files on Gina and Kieran's wedding plans. She scratched her head, wondering what went on in that woman's mind that made her so carefree about her own wedding. Sometimes Emily swore that Gina just was apathetic about anything that wasn't about helping someone else- especially if that someone else was related to her.

"Christ. This sucks," she complained to the empty room. She scratched at the back of her head, trying to look through the figures and availability of different locations. _If only Naomi were here right now,_ Emily thought. _That would make this all so much easier. She'd know what to do._

Just then, the doorbell interrupted her train of thought. Emily sighed, grabbing a random sheet of paper to attempt to comprehend fully as she left the kitchen to answer the door. She did a slight double take when she opened the door.

"Hey," Naomi greeted casually. She was holding a tote bag that had the words "I'd rather be reading" scrawled across the pocket of the bag. "I know it's a bit early for it, but how about we go have some lunch? I've got it right here," she offered, pointing to her white bag.

"Thank you for coming. I need your help with you mum's wedding plans. I don't think she'll ever have an opinion. Would you mind having one for her? After all, I really need you to have one for her. I need an opinion, okay?" Emily blurted, waving a piece of paper in Naomi's face anxiously. "I seriously love you for your timing right about now. Thank you so, so much. Why weren't you here earlier?"

"All right. Let's do that work first, and I'll throw the bag in the fridge for the moment," Naomi responded.

"Thank you. You have no idea how tough this can be," Emily gushed.

"Actually, seeing as how she's my mum, I think I do. Do you have any favorite beverages? I think I brought too many," Naomi offered.

"Let's just get this done," Emily replied flatly. "There is no way in hell I am going to enjoy this alone."

"You do realize that you're complaining to a client's daughter?" Naomi told her. Naomi's eyebrows were raised, wrinkling her forehead. Her head was tilted, and Emily had a sheepish glint to her eyes.

"Let's just get the work done," Emily emphasized, leaning forward to kiss Naomi softly on the cheek. Naomi smiled and returned the kiss, this time landing her lips right on Emily's.

* * *

"I'm surprised you're not blindfolding me right now," Emily stated simply, looking at Naomi with a small smile etched on her face. "Isn't that what usually happens during these scenes?"

"This is not some cheesy rom-com flick. Those have a bit too much hetero for my tastes, anyways," Naomi quipped. She winked casually at Emily, tucking a strand of blonde hair behind her ear.

"Thanks for taking me here. It's nice. I didn't even know there was a park like this so close to my own house," Emily admitted, taking in the view. "I really should come here more often."

"We'll have to visit in the winter at like two in the morning. The valley over there gets this cool mist that's just thick enough where you can't see after about ten meters, but for some reason, it's one of my favorite sights. Cook passed that secret down to me, believe it or not," Naomi blabbed. Cook had asked her not to say anything, but Naomi didn't care.

"Cook?" Emily exclaimed. "Wouldn't he be the sort of wanker who'd be at a club, not a park, at that time?"

"Well, he learned about it from a friend of mine named Rachel. She learned it from this Sophia girl who was only getting close to Rachel to get to me," Naomi shrugged, taking a bite of her sandwich. "Of course, I wasn't interested, but people aren't always that good at noticing that shit."

"I know. Katie seems to think she's the goddess of reading others, but she had basically no idea I was gay until I told her. I tried dropping huge hints, and if you saw the posters on my wall, you would've thought it was James rooming with Katie instead of me. One of her friends actually asked her why her brother shared a room with her once. Needless to say, I laughed for ten minutes straight," Emily gushed, her body language immediately changing from reserved to rather forward in a split second.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Her name was Pandora, but we called her Panda. She's the sort who just kind of assumes things. You'd either love or hate her, I think. She's cool if you give her a chance without judging her, since her brain goes from the sex knowledge of a five year old to head in the gutter faster than a rollercoaster reached zero to sixty," she continued, making sure to watch Naomi for signs of disinterest. She, however, was leaning forward to the point where if they had been sitting on a bench instead of the ground, there could've been paint drying on the back of the bench and Naomi wouldn't have gotten any on her shirt. Her elbow rested just above her knee as her head balanced on that hand, smiling casually.

"Sounds like you care about her," she remarked, a slight sigh exiting her right after she spoke. Emily reached for a bite of her half of the ham sandwich they were sharing. Naomi smiled at this, because for some reason, Emily was tearing bite-sized pieces from the sandwich before tossing them in her mouth.

"Yeah," Emily commented between bites of sandwich. "She's the sort of person who you can trust with most anything. It's nice, having a friend like that. Effy and her were really good friends, so I came out to them earlier than most of the group. Effy already knew, I think, but Panda just didn't really care. She'd seen me spend time with other girls without treating them like guys do, and I think that time really helped her to see how I'm not that different from her, Katie, or most other girls," she explained. "She did seem a bit shocked, though. I will admit that," Emily admitted, watching Naomi for a reaction. When there was none for several minutes, she started to worry. "Naomi? You ok?"

"Oh, yeah, um, fine. I guess I was just… thinking," Naomi responded cautiously. "That's nice."

"Glad to hear you think so," Emily maintained.

* * *

Naomi swore that Emily could eat more in one meal than half the random at her house used to eat in a week- though she supposed that might be an exaggeration. "Would you like some ice cream? There's a nice parlor about a half dozen blocks from here, and it's on the way back, so we wouldn't have to detour or anything. My treat?" Naomi offered.

"Sure," Emily chuckled, never one to pass up a chance at free dessert. "Sounds nice."

"Well then, come on," Naomi urged Emily. "Be careful not to get any brain freeze, though. It's a bitch. Trust me."

"I will," Emily teased. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. Any idea for what you'll get?" Naomi asked, pulling her wallet from her bag. She grabbed a tenner from the main pocket, patting her pocket with her other hand to make sure she had some spare coins in case Emily ordered something big.

"It's cool. I'm not that hungry, especially after that lunch. Isn't that wallet a bit old?" Emily inquired, pointing to it for emphasis.

"A bit, I guess, but I'm used to it. I wouldn't mind a new one, I guess, but there's not much of a point if this one works already," Naomi commented dryly.

"I see. Anyways, you did a great job with that ham. What was that sauce you used?"

"It was kind of a sauce, I guess. There was a honey barbeque, and I added a couple of light spices, but it's better served chilled than warm. My mum found out that detail after a community meal turned disaster. That was one chaotic night…" Naomi's voice drifted away with her thoughts for a moment before she recomposed herself. "That's a story for another time, though."

"Darn! I thought I'd get to hear about someone other than my date," Emily joked, trying to lace sarcasm into her voice but failing.

"Well, if you don't want to hear about me, why are you on this date?" Naomi challenged playfully. The two broke into a hushed chorus of giggles as a group of schoolgirls eyed them warily.

"Well, my mother taught me never to turn down a free meal," Emily responded.

"Your mother taught you?"

"Okay, fine. It was college. We got some great free food back then, most of it from random guys who Katie would flirt with. I'd sit and listen to them talk sports. After a while, I'd start to join in on the conversations, and I got a reputation for being a sports fanatic. You would not believe how many guys tried to ask me out after that. I had to pretend to have a boyfriend already to get some of them to leave me alone. Men. Ugh."

"Can't live with them, can totally live without them. I know what you mean," Naomi commented. "Well, here we are. After you."

"Thanks," Emily responded, slightly shocked. Most of her dates would make it perfectly clear to Emily that she was the one meant to hold the door open, so when Naomi was willing to do things the opposite way, it threw Emily for a slight loop. No other girl she dated would have insisted on that second coffee date, either. Emily smiled at this fact as it popped in her head.

"Fuck," Naomi muttered under her breath. "What's he doing here?" she groaned, exasperated.

"What's who doing here?" Emily asked, searching around the room for a hint of whom Naomi might be referencing. "Never mind," she clarified a second later. "I see him too."

"I knew I should've given him false information. Leave it to Cook to try and screw over a nice basic date," Naomi complained. "Should we say hi to him or just ignore his presence?"

"I think he's gonna want to talk to us either way. Let him come to us. Otherwise, there is no way I'm letting a perfectly good date get ruined by some wanker," Emily mumbled, careful to only let Naomi hear.

"Well, this should be interesting. Let's hope he doesn't hit on either of us. I wouldn't put it past him," Naomi sighed.

"Let's."

* * *

**Okay, so I'm going to be away from a computer for up to a month. I might be able to sneak on sometimes, but I won't have any ways to update this fanfic, so it's going on hiatus for a month. I plan to have a few chapters written when I get back, and I'm going to take this time to try and get regularly scheduled updates.**

**Sorry about the sudden notice, but I'll be with family, and I don't dare go on here or tumblr using their computer, so I'll be out of reach for at least 3 weeks. I'll still be alive, though.**

**~sourpatchrehab**


	10. Not the Dictionary Definition

**Not Everything Goes As Planned**

**Chapter 10: Not the Dictionary Definition**

* * *

Naomi swore the only reason they managed to avoid an embarrassing run-in with Cook was a whole slew of good luck had been bestowed on her and Emily. Emily, on the other hand, believed that Cook had been able to read the situation and know that they were not looking for a friendly chat.

"You really think he'd be able to just read us like that? He's not the type to bother looking at non-vocal cues, okay? He has to hear a direct 'fuck off' before he'll leave anyone to themselves," Naomi reasoned. "Please inform me how someone like that would suddenly become an expert at reading people?"

Emily let out a small breath before explaining, "Katie said that he has an extreme form of selective hearing that continues to his social skills. It's how he works, I guess." Naomi merely rolled her eyes, her hair flipped aside so Emily would notice. She smirked at this.

"I highly doubt that someone like Katie would know Cook as well as someone who isn't all but killed for calling him James," Naomi criticized, tilting her head towards Emily. "It think I'm living proof that he's more complex than Katie thinks," she smirked. This caused Emily to chuckle.

"You seem rather confident that you know Cook better than my sister does," Emily commented. She smirked knowingly, glancing at Naomi to gauge her reaction.

"You know that Katie's my fucking sister!" Emily scolded. "Why wouldn't I trust her?"

"But you're trusting _her _over _me_? That's a great way to really make me feel special," Naomi snapped sarcastically. "I feel like I'm a goddamn superhero here."

"Well, it would be pretty bloody amazing if you were one, but I don't think this is anything out of Marvel," Emily jested lightly. She proceeded to take a large bite off her ice cream cone, throwing Naomi a sultry glance in the process. This caused Naomi to blush slightly as she straightened her posture slightly.

"Um… I," she began. "I didn't… mean for it to sound all rude like that. Was that a bit much, or was I okay?" Naomi worried. Her eyebrows furrowed as she dared to look at Emily, barely maintaining eye contact.

"You're worrying too much," Emily chuckled, throwing Naomi a look that told her not to fret. "Life's short! Live a little, for Christ's sake!" she exclaimed, which Naomi responded to with a rather priceless expression.

The words, "Are you insulting your girlfriend?" left her mouth before she could stop them.

"I'm flattered that you think of us as girlfriends," Emily responded without missing a beat. Unlike Naomi, Emily was perfectly in control of the words that left her mouth.

"I don't know. I mean, I like you… a lot. Still, I worry if this is too fast or not. I mean, isn't after only three or four dates a bit fast?" Naomi wondered. Emily took a bite of her ice cream, pondering her response as she stared across the street at nothing in particular.

"Well then, here's what we'll do. I'll take you out again, and if we're still together again, we'll talk about this again. Deal?" Emily suggested.

"I don't mean it like that. We can still… I mean, I'm fine with it. I just don't want to force you into it. Is that what you… Do you want to be official?" Naomi inquired. Emily responded by attempting to jump on her, wrapping her arms all the way around Naomi's waist, burying her face in her shoulder.

"Yes, yes, yes!" she squealed, happy that she had finally managed to find a girlfriend. Before Naomi, she hadn't really found that person who made her want to be with her, and it wasn't that the other girls had been bad girls in general so much as she had never felt that click with them. Maybe it was the way Naomi would notice things- subtleties- about her that no one else did, or maybe it was the way Naomi would try to apologize for the smallest thing and get this cute look on her face that Emily couldn't get mad at her for her unneeded apology, or perhaps it was how Naomi would look at her out of the corner of her eye without wanting to be discovered by Emily but would end up being caught anyways, and that would lead to the most adorable little sheepish grin forcing its way onto her face. She didn't know what it was, but something about Naomi just _worked_ with Emily.

"Thanks for all of this. It's been nice," Naomi admitted, drawing herself from her own thoughts. "We should do this again."

"Is that an invite?" Emily flirted, smiling coyly at Naomi. The duo earned a few strange looks ad Naomi leaned over and kissed Emily square on the lips, lingering for a few seconds.

"Of course it is, Ems. What else would it be?" she joked, her hand reaching for Emily's. "Are you accepting the invite?" Naomi added as she grabbed Emily's hand, their fingers intertwining casually.

"Well, sure I will," Emily replied, giving Naomi's hand a soft squeeze. "It sounds like it'd be… fun," she admitted. Emily leaned on her toes as they stopped at the end of the street, tilting Naomi's head with her free hand to give her another kiss.

"Fun? Naomi asked as they pulled apart a few seconds later.

"Fun," repeated Emily, causing Naomi to grin.

* * *

"Well, that was a nice distraction," Emily commented as the women walked to the door of the Fitch house.

"I enjoyed distracting you," Naomi admitted, handing Emily the papers she would need.

"Let me run these inside a second," Emily said, her voice trailing as she snuck into her own family's kitchen. She silently placed her paperwork on the table, listening for footsteps. Not hearing any, she ran back outside to join a patiently waiting Naomi. "Sorry about that."

"No problem," Naomi told Emily truthfully. "15 people, remember?" I know how to wait a few minutes without getting bored." Emily smiled at that, relieved that she hadn't made Naomi feel impatient.

"Great. Come on," Emily exclaimed, grabbing Naomi's hand and pulling her to the side yard.

"What are we doing here?" Naomi questioned. Her reply was to be pushed carefully against the side of the house as Emily's lips met hers. One of Emily's hands reached for Naomi's cheek, and Naomi responded with an arm around Emily's waist, pulling their bodies closer. Their lips smacked as they left each other for a fraction of a second before colliding together again, and Emily snaked a hand to the hem of Naomi's shirt. Naomi grabbed the hand and held onto it for a second before leading it under her shirt slowly, stopping it over her abdomen. Emily tensed slightly, leaning into Naomi as the two flipped positions.

"I'm guessing this is a blind spot of some sort?" Naomi gasped during the flip. A bush on one side brushed their arms, but neither of them noticed.

"Yeah. No windows on the neighbor's house." The fingers of the hand Emily was resting on Naomi's stomach curled against her muscles as Emily's tongue grazed Naomi's lower lip, causing her to moan slightly into the kiss. Her hand reached to push Emily's skirt down a few centimeters, but stopped when she remembered their current location.

"My mum's out for the day, if you want," Naomi informed Emily, her voice wavering as Emily's hand snaked its way dangerously close to Naomi's tits. "Should we?" she suggested.

"I think we might, um," Emily breathed, "need a cool-down first." Her voice came out a few syllables at a time, pausing slightly to make sure she was saying what she wanted. "Plus, I don't think the neighbours want to walk out and find a show over the fence," she added for good measure.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing we're girlfriends now. Otherwise I wouldn't be willing to do this," Naomi flirted, slumping against the wall as she scanned the landscaping.

"Fine by me. So, _girlfriend,_" Emily responded playfully, "Shall we go soon? My Vespa's in the garage," she added, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder, wincing as it hit the side of the house.

"We shall. Your thumb okay?" Naomi asked, reaching to grab Emily's- no, her girlfriend's- hand as she stood.

"It's fine," Emily insisted, her face turning slightly redder. "It's fine."

* * *

The second Naomi shut her front door, Emily pinned her against it. As their lips found each other, Naomi's hand grabbed for Emily's hip, sliding along to the small of her back. Emily reached a hand for Naomi's neck, nudging it for better access. As she trailed kisses along her neck, Emily brought her knee against Naomi's legs, attempting to nudge them apart. Naomi responded by slipping a hand under Emily's shirt, tugging the material upwards. Emily helped her to lift it from her torso, careful not to rip the fabric. The instant it was off, Naomi made a beeline for Emily's collarbone, placing several kisses along the flesh, keeping her lips planted on one spot that had Emily biting back a moan working its way from the back of her throat. Emily grabbed for Naaomi's zipper on her skirt, sliding the material to the ground.

"Wow. If this is what it's- what it's like when we're, um, in the foyer…" Emily's voice trailed.

"Imagine what it'll be like once we reach the bed," Naomi finished for her, smirking at Emily. There was a mischievous glint in the girl's eyes as Emily adjusted her bra strap to give Naomi more room. "Sound like a plan?" she asked lightly, moving her kisses slightly. Emily grabbed at Naomi's top, pulling it off her body in one swift motion.

"Sure, works for me," Emily gasped, heading towards the staircase as she kicked off her shoes. Naomi did the same before attempting to pick Emily from the ground, but she failed miserably. Emily burst into laughter as Naomi hid her face with one hand, grabbing her skirt with the other. "I'll, um, get your shirt for you as well," she told her girlfriend.

"Thanks," Naomi replied, jogging quietly to join Emily. "Hey Ems?" she asked when she reached the bottom of the stairs. Emily turned from halfway up the staircase.

"Yeah, Naoms?" Emily replied, taking in her girl's face. _The things that look does to me,"_ she thought.

"What does being someone's girl mean to you? Are there rules? Do I buy a book from EBay?"

It took Emily several seconds to realize that the last sentence was a joke, after which she burst into laughter. "There's no rulebook," she jested. "It's basically exclusivity and also, um, don't forget important dates like birthdays and anniversaries. Holidays and those plus-one parties are also important, but I don't really do those month-iversary things, okay?" Emily finished, clapping her hands together.

"That's not bad," Naomi commented offhandedly. "I thought there would be more," she added, hoping to spark a response from Emily.

"Great. Now come up with me so we can get that offensive shirt off of you."

"How is this shirt offensive?" Naomi quizzed, arms crossing over her chest as a confused worry worked its way into her expressions.

"Well…" Emily started with no intent to finish her sentence. She climbed the top half of the staircase, sliding her beige shorts off in the process. Naomi followed her, eyes keeping focused on the shorts as they worked their way down Emily's legs with the help of gravity.

"You aren't actually going to write down these rules, are you, Naomi?" Emily chastised sternly as Naomi reached for a pen.

"NO! No, that was, um…" Naomi started, stumbling over her words, "I did that for added humour! I guess it was a bit over the top," she spurted nervously, placing the pen on the table. She attempted to make no noise as she trotted up the stairs to Emily.

"Good. We wouldn't want to lose our girlfriend benefits before we use them, now would we?" Emily challenged.

"Oh, I'll be abusing them too, if I get permission," Naomi flirted, snaking a finger under the side of Emily's bra strap. "Now where were we?" she asked, tilting her head to one side as she kept her eyes fixed on Emily's tits.

"Bed," Emily demanded, her mouth drying rapidly.

"Works for me," Naomi reasoned. "I didn't realize you were so tired, though," she teased, managing to sound serious. She trailed her hand down to Emily's panties, sliding a finger along the side hem. Emily's hands twitched in response.

"I'd rather top you than the bed," she managed. "If we have to nap, though, that's fine by me," she added coyly, unhooking Naomi's bra with one hand while managing to only fumble minimally. Naomi leaned over to kiss Emily as she reached for her free hand, pulling her towards her bedroom.

* * *

**Sorry about the hiatus, everyone. I'll be back on an almost normal schedule for the next few chapters, and it should resume normalcy after that until the end of the fanfic. Enjoy, and there is also a one-shot that I posted recently for those of you who hadn't noticed. It may be listed as Katie and Naomi, but the conversation topic is purely Naomily. I promise.**


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